The invention relates to probes for myographic measurements within the oral cavity.
Myography is concerned with the measurement of contractions and relaxations of the skeletal muscles. In the diagnosis and treatment of various disorders involving the face and mouth, it is often desirable to determine the strength of the face and mouth muscles. Such determinations may be useful, for example, in assessing and treating certain speech disorders, in assessing the need for physical therapy for stroke victims, to detect orofacial muscle imbalance, and for tracking progress in recovery from strokes or other injury to the mouth or face. Measurement of orofacial muscle strength may also be useful in connection with oral surgery, particularly where the musculature is to be cut. Measurements prior and post operation, for example, can aid in determining an appropriate course of isometric exercise or other physical therapy.
A system for direct measurement of orofacial muscle strength is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,452,727 and 5,609,161. Those patents provide an improved measurement technique especially suited to measurements in and about the oral cavity, and especially to measurements of lip and tongue muscle strength. As disclosed in those patents, the patient presses against a pressure-sensitive probe with the lips or tongue while the probe is held in a prescribed disposition typically with the aid of an ancillary support fixture. The probe generates an electrical signal characteristic of the applied force and hence the muscle strength.
The embodiment of probe disclosed in the above-referenced patents is illustrated in those patents for measurement of lip and tongue muscle strengths and is less suited for measurement of stronger muscle strengths, such as direct measurement of the strength of a patient's bite force.